Turkish presidency releases disinformation bulletin for January 16-22

The Disinformation Bulletin, prepared by the Directorate of Communications for the period from January 16 to January 22, 2023, included headlines such as, “The Assad Regime Attacked the Turkish Base in Idlib. There are Several Dead and Wounded,” and “A Girl was Auctioned Off in Afghanistan.”

The bulletin, which noted that the allegation shared on some social media accounts that are spreading propaganda for the terrorist organization PKK/YPG, that “the Assad regime attacked the Turkish base in Idlib. There are several dead and wounded,” did not reflect the truth, including the following information:

“The attack was carried out not by the Assad regime but by PKK/YPG terrorists; the rockets fired fell within the responsibility area of our Öncüpınar Border Post. No Turkish base was hit as a result of the attack. No personnel of the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) was harmed in the attack. The Turkish Armed Forces located the attack's origin points, engaged the targets with heavy fire, and neutralized 20 terrorists.”

The allegation that “a girl was auctioned off in Afghanistan”

In the bulletin stating that the allegation shared by some social media accounts that “a nine-year-old girl was auctioned off in Afghanistan” does not reflect the truth, it was noted that the photograph had previously been shared by numerous Facebook and Twitter users with similar claims.

The bulletin included the following information:

“The photo was taken during anti-NATO demonstrations in 2011 in the city of Taloqan, located in the country's northern region, in response to the murder of four people, including two women, by NATO soldiers. A group of 2,000 people demonstrated at the funerals of those killed in the attack, claiming that the victims were civilians, not militants. 12 people were killed and 80 were injured when the police intervened against the protesters who were shouting slogans against the United States and the government of Kabul. The photograph, which has been circulated with similar claims for years, was taken during protests, not at an auction.”. (ILKHA)